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Alessia Russo might've been Arsenal's star signing this summer but it was Stina Blackstenius, the centre forward whose place the England star has taken, who was the Gunners' timely match-winner in a huge clash with title rivals Manchester City on Sunday. Introduced at the expense of Russo with 75 minutes on the clock, there were just three minutes of normal time remaining when Blackstenius capitalised on a costly defensive error to roll the ball into an empty net, securing a 2-1 win that will be a massive confidence boost for a team whose start to the new season has bordered on disaster.
Elimination in the first round of Women's Champions League qualifying was followed up by a shock opening weekend defeat to Liverpool, with Arsenal six points off table-topping Chelsea coming into this fixture. It proved to be a topsy-turvy afternoon. The Gunners started poorly but City didn't punish them, with Steph Catley instead giving the hosts an early lead through a wonderful strike. That could've been doubled with only 20 minutes on the clock but Khiara Keating stepped up to save Kim Little's penalty brilliantly instead.
City continued to look the side more in control of affairs and it meant that the only surprising thing about their equaliser in the second half, through in-form England winger Chloe Kelly, was that it didn't come sooner. They looked to have the bit between their teeth from then on, until Keating made a devastating mistake. The teenager misjudged Katie McCabe's long ball forward and her headed clearance had plenty of height but no distance, allowing Blackstenius to pick it up with ease and put it into the back of the net.
It was a crushing blow for Keating and City, with the young goalkeeper in tears at full-time as she replayed the incident over and over in her mind. There will be plenty of chances for her and her team to make up the ground lost in the title race by this defeat, there's no doubt about that, but it's a result that offers Arsenal a way back into the battle at the top, one that was certainly not expected to open up for them based on the opening stages in Borehamwood.
GOAL runs through the winners and losers from a chaotic afternoon at Meadow Park...